I talk with a lot of people, each of varied backgrounds and socio-economic classes, races, creeds, sexualities, genders, et cetera. I’ve mentioned it before, but I have a lot of friends and fans of my work from all over the globe, and the one and only thing I ask in my interactions are that they are themselves. Don’t be what’s perceived to be expected, don’t act like someone else, be yourself and we’ll get along just fine.

I genuinely like having such a varied group of friends, from all spectrums and corners of life, each different from one another and me, each bringing their uniqueness to our relationship. I have no desire to live in an echo chamber, I like learning from everyone I meet and so I like my friends to be authentically them. We are each a one and done, there has never nor will there ever be another of us ever, and with all incredibly rare things in life, the value is astronomical!

Often people try to fit in, they quiet who they genuinely are, and adapt to what they perceive that others want them to be and this is truly sad because they make friends with a false version. If I am looking for friends, I want those friendships to be genuine, honest, and real, I want to know my friends and let them in to know me. 

Look, people are going to judge you no matter what, those people aren’t your proverbial tribe; not everyone is going to like you and that’s okay because when people do like the real you, you’ll build long-lasting friendships with genuine meaning. You, as you are, are amazing, and no this is not some self-help confidence boost; you are the product of thousands of acts of love, millions of years of evolution and yet you are here despite the possibility of that being 0.1% or less. You are special, you are unique, you are an almost impossible rarity… so be yourself, shine as you are and your tribe will accept you and find you!